A/N a little quicker getting this out as I had some free time to do :)

Synthesis

Ellen sat on Starlight's chassis as she looked over Ratchets analysis data pad, "only physical damage now." She reminisced, the hall was empty and silent, besides her and her parental guardian everyone else was out front to finally test Raf and Wheeljack's invention.

"I may be some time." Optimus told her from afar after performing a routine check on his jetpacks performance.

"U-huh." She said wavering it off.

"Abnormal response." He said curiously.

She made a soundless laugh, "You'll be back, I know you will." She said with her head down.

"You cannot make contact?" he asked lightly.

"I can." She argued looking at him, "See?" she said turning back as he raised his eyebrows as a shrugged gesture. "Hey, don't humour me. This is a big thing for me." She slightly huffed as he acted unbeknownst of what she meant. Putting the pad to one side she rubbed her knees a little unsure with what she would say next. "This, won't change much only that you come out with no injuries and the other guy does but-"

Optimus snapped his head up to attention to the suggestive tone, "Ellen, remember the consequence of revealing what we cannot control, 'even foresight has its burdens'." He warned.

"I have to avoid you getting hurt no matter how small." She half closed her eyes, "I'm still getting images." She admitted.

He started to approach her, "are they distressing?" he questioned. "Any abnormalities in your mentality? Physically?"

"I don't think so. But when they do come, I feel, nothing. I just speak them, know them. And now I can't stop them." She said. "Maybe you could use them somehow."

"You are not a tool at our dispense." He sternly said.

"Six seekers, and Starscream, will get wise to your presence." She told him flatly as he stepped back a little. "Weather calls for mostly dry, though rain is to be expected." She lightly jested. "And be aware of those heavy rain clouds, visibility can be poor for a first person flyer as well as someone trying to keep up with something smaller, such as Chip."

"Chip. Rafael's creations designation." he said.

"It's cute." She smiled before that smile turned crooked, "be careful anyway. If you think what I see might be misinformation, that's fine, but I'm trusting my feelings this time." She told him shrugging her shoulders.

He nodded, "Despite my warnings, I appreciate the forecast foresight." He said lightly as she made a restrained laugh into her hand. "How much can you see?" he then asked with concern lingering in his tone.

She rubbed her forehead mumbling, "Only what I'm allowed, but it's not all there in plain writing I have to translate most of it."

He nestled his hand beside her, "perhaps this is why Megatron gave up the shard so easily."

"Why would he want me to suffer, not like you guys anyway?"

"His own visions that were given by Unicron, mislead him to believe his own destiny as the rising darkness, who was in fact Unicron himself. Do you not think that you are also being misled? To mislead us?" he asked her.

She slightly drooped her head, "Some might be similar yeah." She muttered, "But some I'm very sure of, by the nature of it." She said sounding so sure but also desperate to be right. "I'll try to be careful of what I say or do, I don't think I can say anything reassuring though."

"Regardless, you have my support." He said, though regrettably in tone.

"Despite my crazy antics." She muttered. "I think we both take turns to worry the other." She added.

"When Ratchet returns we will find a solution to expel the tainted abilities from your mind, we cannot confirm if these visions are an act of foresight or..." He shook his head. "From Unicron himself." He grimly accepted the possibility making Ellen slightly shudder.

"You…you think so?" she asked.

"There could be other possibilities, the nature of theories is that there are more than one." He told her as she looked down slightly disheartened.

"So I was just being ignorant." She muttered before crossing her legs, "Maybe there are some things I'd like to believe…like myself."

"It is not ignorance, your intentions is what made you believe, sometimes what we push forward for the most can blind us to the reality of the situation, but I also know from experience that its better to try then to not." He reasured as she glanced a weak smile. "Now, for the time being, it would be best not to take in those visions as fact."

She looked at her hands nodding, "I'm going to fix Starlight up, the best I can." She told him in a quiet tone. "Ratchet fixed her internally it just needs some polishing up...I think." She said thinking about what he said. "Wish I could, ask him. He'd probably push me to one side because I'd probably mess his work up somehow." She jested softly.

"We will retrieve him." He said.

She looked on fondly, "I know you will, I don't need a vision of that." She said gently.

He smiled as he hovered a hand, "socialise." He told her patting her head as she swatted his hand away.

"Sure after I'm finished Big Guy." She said.

"Also…" he started looking to the hangar door, "if you want to go into Jasper...you can. Just be cautious." He added sceptically.

She stopped working again as she was slightly stunned, "Hey…thanks." She said fondly.

"Agent Fowler has given you access to certain vehicles you are licensed to on hand." He added.

"That's…pretty awesome. Did you ask him?" she said slightly surprised.

He nodded as he looked to the hangar door, "I can be infuriating." He said lightly though suggested her own quotation but in different words.

She slightly shuffled with a crooked smile, "Nah, you're not that bad. Well maybe to Megatron…and, Agent Fowler." She said as she looked to him for a moment, "Thanks Dad. But you choice a bad time to say yes now. But I'll write this down as a score of 65 Yes to 456 No's." She jested.

He averted his optics upwards, "Any change or any sign I will be in contact." He told her.

"Alright, I'll hold up things here, the Commanders days are numbered." She grinned playfully rubbing her hands together.

"Do not provoke our Elite warrior Ellen." he lectured.

"Would I?" she said mock innocently. As she watched him pull open the hangar door stepping out as he closed it behind him an echoed shut of it ringing through the hall as Ellen turned back to her work. It was a long while in the silence she was given as she heard a loud turbo powered sound, she looked up to the sound as it faded out in mere seconds. "Right then. Let's try and fix you up before Ratchet gets back." She said to the empty form.

Ultra Magnus had been monitoring the screen for two and a half hours, though the last ten minutes had made his processor strain causing a twitch in his optics to the sound of loud hammering against metallic armour. "Ellen?" he started, "Ellen." he said again a little louder before straining his optics, "Civilian!"

Ellen stopped mid-air with a hammer and wielder, "Y-es?" she emphasised taking off a wielding mask.

He sighed heavily, "You have been working on that for, by your time hours now." Magnus said to her as she merely continued her work before briefly looking back to him.

"It would take hours, I…it took a fair amount of damage." She merely said.

She nudged her head forward to put the wielding mask back on as she raised the hammer up again. The action made Magnus cringe as he raised a hand as a stop sign to her. "I was suggesting that you take five. The posture you have to choose to work in despite the similarities your biology has its limits."

She lent backwards to test his theory to a point she couldn't lay her back on her legs like she envisioned, "Well, my biology has limits you obviously have never been to a circus." She noted as she looked at his own posture, "Are you sure you don't want to sit out then? You've been looking at that screen with your hands behind your back for at least half an hour less than me and your standing. I know for sure Cybertron had chairs." she said.

He shook his head, "I think not. I stood guard at the walls of Iacon for a Stellar cycle once, this is only a small fraction of that amount of time." He said.

"Ah, of course, 'General Zod does not take orders, he gives them'." She said.

He made a small gesture that he had tilted his head curiously, "I'm sorry but who are these beings you refer me to?"

"Movies, TV shows, I'll show you them sometime."

"If you must, however, right now you can find yourself some recuperation and that's an order." He said firmly as she leant to one side to the typical behaviour. "I am still in command with Primes absence." He reminded.

"Hm." She said bowing her head. "Alright Sir." She finished starting to walk in a chosen direction.

"Curious." He said making her bite as she stopped with a leg half way in the air.

"What?"

"No, confrontation? should I be wary?" he asked.

She stretched her fingers, "Nah, feeling too, 'casual' for that." she noted brushing her hands, "besides, I like you. And I mean that in present tense." She jested. "Nah, I love you really."

"Very endearing." He noted flatly acknowledging her briefly before turning back to the screen.

She grinned finding the root of attention again as she folded her arms, "I could just hug you." She added.

"I'd advise not to." He swiftly replied as she shrugged. "An Earthly custom." He then said. "The cultural acceptance is appreciated." He finished.

She smiled lightly, "Despite its irreverently, A-ie Magnus?"

"Indeed. Just something else to tolerate." He noted.

Ellen was about to walk again before finishing the conversation, "Oh by the way, technically you should have referred to me as an adolescent not juvenile." She commented.

"Technical or not I refer to you as to what you portray, Juvenile." He said, his back facing her as she pulled a series of faces. "check, and mate, the appropriate term I believe." He added.

She wanted to hate him so much but she couldn't help but smile though it was slightly crooked to how snarky she felt at the same time, "Well done old man." she praised before making her way up the railings to sit out for a moment on the couch though noticed a silent Agent Fowler at the controls, "Hm." She mumbled making her way over, "Hey breezy, wearing clean Uncle Sam's now? Or whatever pun is available?"

He looked on confused, "You been going through my draws?" he asked.

She grinned like an idiot, "Fowler, you're the king of irrelevant comments and awkward moments. Don't ever change." She commended, "Anyway, that doesn't look like surveillance." She noted the small human computer he was working at.

"Just filing some reports I figured I could kill two birds with one stone." He said casually.

Ellen shuffled her feet, "Not one of my favourite expressions, but when you do file reports do you mention all of us? Every word being said? Because, I don't think all my material was great in the past." She nervously laughed looking her nails over.

Fowler looked back and forth from the screen trying to focus on two things at once as well as listen to her, "Of course, well I carefully pick out words now since General Brice questioned my sound health when I mentioned Miko's comment of a Unicorn." He said holding a hand to his head when recalling that memory, he then stood up as he thought to extend the conversation, "But it could also work beneficial for you kids, headhunting I mean. Though I would have to mention that our 'other civilians' are not exactly the adults I've suggested they are." He said.

"Oh yeah, your 'agents' right?" she said leaning up against the railing as she looked to the other side of the room to the group of bots, guardian and charge alike, "Raf could be pretty helpful within the government, with surveillance, gadgetry and strategic, Miko I could see being on the field, I don't think she'd want to be anywhere else, but where the action is...Well expect that her and Bulkhead could do that together..." She turned around so that she was leaning against the railing on her front.

Fowler joined her making himself known to the corner of her eyes. "Still thinking of joining Nest? you ever thought to be apart of something more...subtle?" he asked with light humour.

She sighed sharply as she rubbed a hand over her face, "I'm a little lost to be honest. But hey I hear you're recommending Jack." She added looking to the far side of the room to said person just to change the focus.

"Against it?" he said in a typical fashion.

Her eyebrows went slightly crooked, "I wasn't going to say that, I think Jacks a good pick, there's no point in worrying about him being on the field because I know he'd be good at it." Her eyes turned darker in shade, "but, a word of caution, if you peer pressure him into it I think I can get a permit for you to stay four miles away from him at all times." She mock threatened.

He made a soundless laugh, "I know, had a similar threat from his Mom." He said looking to above him. "You know I was wound tighter then those new briefs I bought when I heard of my new post, bad enough with the aliens but with an extended spoilt, sheltered, isolated kid as well-."

"Hey." Ellen slightly mumbled offended.

Fowler held up his hands in front of his face with a gesture of peace, "Hear me out, I read your profile and to be honest I thought you were going to be some smart mouth, loud, wisecracking kid." He nudged her with the intention of the end joke, "and I was right." He smiled widely proud with that.

"Beautiful execution there Agent Fowler." She sarcastically said as she clapped her hands slowly.

Nonetheless he was fine with it. "Well like many of the bots here, first impressions are only metallic skin deep its only when you see them in dire situations are they at their best. When you kids are at your best." He noted.

"I guess." She shrugged.

"I haven't mentioned this to Miko or Raf yet but, you would all benefit the planet. Jack has his head on straight as do you, all of you could even lead a unit one day, investigating and monitoring extra terrestrial disturbances." He said as she looked to the side, "This could still go on or maybe we'll get other visitors, either way we need people who have had this kind of contact." He argued.

She stopped slouching against the railing, "That so? Well, don't spend the taxes just yet."

he lay a hand on her back, "Like an illness, it's better to avoid it then to cure it." Fowler then said as Ellen wondered about his current state. "I think you would benefit with negotiations."

"Negotiations?" she questioned.

Fowler rubbed the back of his head, "There may be some, probably most of the population that may be 'indifferent' to the knowledge that we are in fact not alone out there." He started, "but there our allies, they'll need a lift off the ground to one day get there planet back to the way it is." Ellen looked down in thought. "And then who knows maybe we'll have small colonies of humans there maybe vice versa, Huh, like uh, an Autobot City." He said.

She looked slightly into space as she pictured it, a positive outcome if it were ever to happen. "that would be...something." She said starting to daydream. "But, realistically to lend our resources would have an economic effect."

"You catch on." He said.

"Ah, so your talking about those sort of negotiations. I don't know, the way you put it I'd feel like some manipulating slime ball, and I have no plans to be a politician, its like the dark side it changes you." She said eerily 'twinkling' her fingers.

Fowler shook his head as she fell to her own mental humour. "but there are also other issues such as first contact, the potential fear of this advanced race especially as there is a hostile factor and-"

"Their technology?" she said. "you mentioned before about being able to use it."

"What you thinking?" he asked seriously tapping the railing.

She placed pinched fingers to her chin caressing it slightly, "My first thoughts were beneficial but i…don't think we're all ready for it." She told him. "Theres still that fear of differences, if not differences there are many out there who would want to harness there level of understanding not just in science but in firepower. I've heard plenty of government officials even yourself mention that we could benefit from their technology." She reminisced.

"But?" he asked.

"But every light has its shadow, I mean look at Silas, he had gotten his hands on weaponry that had been locked up due to the destructive level it possessed." she said. "I can maybe convince others of alien life but, to be honest not all of us are evolved enough to be trusted. Its human nature until we can abandon certain traits, which if we ever do live for as long as they have would take at least a few thousand years more." She said. "We're not all bad in fact there are also a lot of things that their admirable of."

"Poetic, what's the final verdict? We can't just overlook the advantages. the obvious protection we can provide ourselves against beings with 'certain' advantages." He said sounding almost bitter to that truth.

she looked to her hands, "I know, and...at times its pretty frustrating when you find an obstacle but can't find a way over it." she continued to stare at her before clenching them, "I don't think we should reveal them, not yet. Maybe we can use their technology but only for a select few and maybe extend that over time. Now giving up resources, a mutual relationship would benefit both worlds maybe it'll even turn to friendship but- well, I'm just hoping that with everything they've done and this planetary connection we have with them-" She shook her head. "Good grief, I haven't even finished school yet and I'm bloody talking about a united Universe."

"Let's just focus on one planet at the moment." He humoured, "Do what you want to do, but I meant what I said about you kids." he stood up, "You know, we never talk." he noted as she shrugged lightly to the point. "Do you think I'm a little, in your face?" he then asked making circles with his fingers on the railing bar.

"Pardon me?" she said.

"Well this may come as a shock but Ms Darby and-"

"Everyone knows Fowler, your like a bird of paradise its kind of obvious." she said flatly taking more interest in the metal she held onto.

Fowler scratched the back of his neck as a nervous response, "do you think...do you think the bots know?" he said a sudden streak of sweat appearing above his brow, "they may call me out on being unprofessional, all those times that I've been calling in out of nowhere to yell at Prime might backfire on..." sudden realisation hit him, "Hmm, Primes been a while." He said tilting his head back to look past Ellen. "Commander, can you set up a communication patch for a status update from Prime?" he called.

Magnus muttered something though performed the request, "Communications are up Agent Fowler." He swiftly confirmed.

"Prime haven't heard from you in a while, everything alright up there?" Fowler asked over the open comm.

"So far Agent Fowler." Came Optimus' voice the intensity in his tone was proof enough that he was still airborne.

"What if the Cons ID Laserbeak's signal?" Jack asked from afar.

"We're counting on Optimus making contact with the Warship, before its radar detects Chip." Raf explained.

"The boss will be fine." Wheeljack reassured.

"It's not Optimus I'm worried about." Arcee said.

After a fifteen minute break Ellen continued at Starlight's form taking the layer of singed metal off the back of its legs, "Hey. Need a hand?" Smokescreen asked feeling confined like some of the others but had to do something practical.

"I...don't know." She said tiredly rubbing her eyes.

"Well i'm no medic but, she's not exactly going is she?" he said poking it.

"I'm not creating life Smoke." she chuckled as she stared off into space rubbing her head.

"Hey?" he said waving a hand in her face as her eyelids acted as waves moving slowly up and down.

"Huh? S-Sorry, I'm just distracted. As usual." She muttered.

"Well yeah, we all are." He shrugged noting Arcee especially, who attempted to make loitering look productive. "But I'm pretty sure what you were doing was trying to sleep."

Ellen briefly looked at him though she was thinking of something else, "Ratchet made this." She started drowsily as Smoke looked at her bizarrely, "But I only use it because i have to, not because I like it. It makes me feel as though my human form is a handicap." She told him seriously.

"Oh Really? What's that human saying? You're preaching to the choir?" he asked unconvinced.

She let her eyes slightly narrow as she rolled them around, "Alright, it was pretty awesome to see a different perspective and...The height was nice but that's it. All it is in change is the scale and the metallic body frame...and lack of a developed ventral region containing the mammary gland." She shrugged swaying to one side though Smokescreen looked on confused to the last part.

"You sure you're not tired, tired?" he asked.

"Sure as sure." She said with slurred speech as he made a sceptical 'Hmm' sound. "N-No really Smoke I'm not saying It out of stubbornness, I really did have a lie down before." she defended sincerely, "But I plan on getting checked out."

"Checked for what? Rust?" he said amusingly but quickly changed his tone, "That little spy hurt you or something?" he asked as she looked slightly confused until recalling those events.

"Maybe...in the head." she said.

He tilted his head, "Mmm, I don't know, you were pale. but more like scared pale." He tapped a finger to his head, "you don't look hurt physically." he added looking her over.

"Know much about the human body?" she asked.

he shook his head, "No, but I know a good or bad feeling." he said.

"I get that now." she said.

"You know, you ask a lot of questions but, you don't answer them." he said bluntly.

she set down any tool she had at the time sitting back on her legs, "Well, maybe there is something wrong with me, can't do anything about it at the moment." she looked at him, "can we just, talk?" she said.

he lightly shrugged though it seemed a bit strange, "Sure." he said leaning up against the med table, "Here's something to ask, I've asked others because I think I was being played around with on Cybertron during training, You go on a little recon right?"

"Right?" she replied.

"Miko told me she went on re-con a few weeks after meeting Bulkhead, But then Bee said he went on re-con right after his scout training." he said. "So, I'm confused."

"I guess, its just a little different, er, maybe its just considering involving factors." She looked to the floor, "It took me four years just to go on recon when I even asked about it and I was eight. if that makes up for it."

"So you were faced with protocol as well?" he said.

"Well not really, it was a little of protocol a little of personal concern, just what to expect. escape routines I had to do, you know to stay out of the way when you guys are fighting on an open field, using the environment. It was so...so...boring." she sighed thinking about in itself made her body fall limp.

"I hear that. Well, the others went on recon earlier right? Were you just out of control?" he clicked his fingers, "I bet you were out of control. You were out destroying society and you needed control." he figured.

She shook her head as she emphasised her form, "N-oo, I was actually well, kind of shy, and maybe a little timid. but I still wanted to get out."

he blew a raspberry, "Shy my aft." he playfully teased before thinking about before with the burning hangar and her Mother, something that made him turn more serious at that point.

"Anyway, he has confidence in the others, because of their positions, Warriors, Scouts with certain responsibilities. He's still my guardian, and so there's more, Mmm, conditions with him." She muttered.

"Sure, their responsibilities are his, with even more." He said.

"Not just that, even with refined skills and how careful i was, he'd still blame himself if anything happened to me. You understand? And that's what's frustrating for me, he can't help it, and I can't stop that." she explained rubbing her hands, "its not so bad now because I'm kind of at that stage where I can sometimes be bothered to do something and other times I just like to go hours at a time of just hanging around, chilling you know."

"Oh, I get it." He said with a low tone before nudging her, "But, if it was restricted, you didn't you know, slip under the radar if you get my drift?"

She brought her knees up, "...Yeah, of course when your restricted to base and base only, it gets frustrating fast, I mean I rebelled sure, did things I didn't even know the point to, I...I just wanted to get out." she admitted, that shameful look in her eyes that he had caught.

"Well that's...that's past now right? you...you learn from mistakes and how to compromise." he said sympathetically.

"Yeah, sometimes pretty hard lessons." she whispered, "but I don't do stunts like that anymore, ever since Megatron returned things have gotten more intense as the days progressed, but when I do feel the need to unwind I do it by myself." She noted playfully glaring at him.

"Y-You know you have a way of drilling in the bad things then the good things, I mean what about when we had Silas on the ropes? Or when we got the Omega keys back?" He said.

"Or when you saved Dad?" she said lightly.

he scratched the back of his head, "Well you know, all in the line of duty and...stuff. it was no big deal." he shrugged.

"Such modesty." she said almost performing a patronising curtsy.

"Hey and besides talking of bad things ha-harming yourself is just as bad." He argued with a stutter pointing a shaky finger at her.

She mumbled something swaying her head side to side to imply her guilt, "in the wrong places sure." she argued. "anyway I'm more curious about you Smoke." she said.

"Huh?" he questioned before grimacing, "More questions?"

"I barely know your life, can't have been just Training-Elite guards-knocked out-here." she argued.

"Don't forget the reading, lots and lots of reading. And yes I can read." he rolled his eyes as she made a hissing snicker.

"U-huh." she flatly replied.

"Pfft." he said. "Well, I came into existence just as the War was breaking out, I can't remember emerging from the Well but I remember that I was lost. And I was running." he said thinking hard to think back to the beginning it made his processor strain.

"Running?" she questioned.

"Cons were after us, you see I was part of the last generation to be sparked before the core stopped creation altogether because of the planet itself being tainted and all." He said. "Cons wanted us to side with them…most of us never sided with them, some did and some...well I...cant say for sure." he grimaced.

"Well if you don't mind me asking why didn't you side with those Cons? I mean you had no memories or what was happening at the time." she questioned curiously.

"Come on, the 'obvious' evil was kind of hard to miss." He argued with blatant gestures. "they were a pretty angry group for no reason."

she lifted her hands, "Good point, So what made you go into the Elite guards?"

"Mostly from what I've heard about them, and what they did, plus it was a chance to see a lot of things that most couldn't, but with most things you gotta pick up from rumour I didn't know about…well you know about our old system don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, er lower and upper caste? Dad said the lower caste were restricted to certain places, well a lot of places. That's what started it all with him and Megatron but what was a conflict of equality turned ultimately to being divided. is what I was told anyway." She said as she felt to stop before she rambled. "so, did they let you in?"

he looked to the side, "Actually they didn't even look me over before practically slamming the door in my face." she counted his fingers, "Reasons being that I was part of the last generation and that there was a lot of paranoia they thought I could potentially be a Spy-Con, well that was one reason another was being too young to be part of the Elites. and a lot of other things I try to forget." he explained.

"So, what did you do?"

"What else? I stood outside the academy for a good, in your time? Two months?" he said.

"Two months? During all that turmoil? So you can be patient...and death defying." She teased.

"It was really weird, I got in but they never gave me a reason, I figured it was just a lack of soldiers." he shrugged though both thought curiously into it. "I saw a lot and heard a lot about Sentinel, about Optimus and what our Bots were fighting for when I was waiting on those steps, dodging bullets at the time, fallen rubble, it's what got me through it. but I was never really apart of the War until I came here." He said his face almost a little bruised from remembering. "I can see why it won't be so easy as I first thought."

"You didn't know." Ellen said quietly.

Smokescreen produced a small smile before swiftly moving on from that page as he looked the empty robotic form over, "you know I think it's just cosmetic damage now, we just need to clean, it up a little. Want the help?" he asked.

"Alright." She said lightly though already knowing that. "Can you make a cast for the pieces that are missing from the leg please?"

he produced a thumbs up, "Sure, these tool Ratchet use are pretty shabby looking don't you think?" he said looking through said tools, "We'll have to repaint over it. It'll look patchy if it isn't you ever thought of changing the paintjob, lilac? Little more red? How about a matching pair of blue and yellows? We could be-"

"I know what needs doing." She snapped as he stood ready of attack, "Sorry. Just a warning, when I do something as tedious as this I can be a right pain in the aft."

"is that all?" he asked.

She slightly scrunched her face up, "Dude your more nosey then me." She said as he nudged her a little to start speaking, "Alright, alright." She sighed, "it's going to end soon, Earths experience with...you guys. I can feel it."

"I don't know how you can worry so much, just take each day as it comes." He said watching over her shoulder as her posture slightly slumped. "Hey, er, I mean. whatever happens if we go back or not, we'll still be in touch. I bet Ratchet could extend the frequency from your planet to ours. but combine Cybertron as well." he argued. "If not by comm, there's always other ways whose to say we can't make a visit now and then? or vice versa? we not that far away if you think about it."

"I thought you were going to help?" she noted flatly.

"Alright I'm doing it, I'm doing It." he said. "Is this big enough?"

"For the back leg yes. Mind holding them while i weld them on?"

"So you can weld now?" he said almost sighing.

"School isn't a huge waste of time." she argued.

he noticed her consistent frowning with even the smallest of replies, "Hey you shouldn't frown so much, I heard that over the years you could leave a line on your forehead from it. Waves or one big slot that goes right down between your eyes." he said drawing a picture on his own forehead invisibly.

she forced her face to relax, "Not likely." she argued with an unlikely shake of the head, "Now, we need to finish what we started alright?"

"I, sure I guess." He said as he held on another panel as she wielded it on, then she moved up to the shoulder as he placed the other plating and repeated the process, all they did for communication was to either point at a certain area or to nod. "Wonder what Ratchets doing now." he wondered through the silence as they finished the job.

"Done, finally." She sighed. "Whats he doing?" she said relevant to Smokescreens question, "Who knows, I just want to think about him getting back."

"Which is...probably what he's doing, mystery solved." Smokescreen declared thinking if he had tripped in his own speech in saying the question, he then looked over their patched up work as he poked the form, "Not bad. still think it needs a paint job." he mentioned, leaning his head in his hand.

Ellen pulled a face as she tightly puckered her lips in annoyance, "If you say it needs a paint job again, I swear to your maker that you will do my math equations, and there hard...on a- head imploding level."

he wavered a hand, "Sound fun." he noted playfully. "Well, now that, that's done. Maybe some R and R time?" he said.

"Nah." she said simply.

"Come on-nn, what else is there to do? besides training and monitoring over the others shoulders? we're wasting Energon here, the least we can do is get it boiling and ready to rescue Ratchet." He emphasised.

"No. maybe later." she repeated laying her tools to one side. "I want to test this out anyway, just to see if the panelling has been aligned with its sense of balance." she added prodding the welding job.

he rolled his optics as he looked to the far side of the room to a familiar object, "Well you can still test it out and…" he picked up the lobbing ball that was placed in an less distracting and safer place. "Go a few rounds with this."

Again curiosity was her enemy, "Of what?" she asked looking up hopefully.

he grinned lightly bouncing the ball off his palm, "Jack told me about how you guys used to play basketball with this." He said.

Her eyes half closed, "Basketball?" she asked slightly solemnly, nothing too serious to her just that it was reserved for someone else.

"Yeah, what's wrong been that long you forgot how to play? Or you still worrying about what will not happen to Ratch?" he teased.

she snapped her head up with intensity, "Yes Smokescreen because I'm not a giant lughead of a tool I've obviously lost my humanity." She stated as a solemn tone can usually turn to snappy remarks without thinking.

he stepped back a space, "Whoa, that was a little steep slaghead I could take but lughead? You know I didn't mean anything by it." He said sincerely.

"U-huh that's seems to be a lot with you lately." She said stepping down as she went to another table hooked up with the salvage parts of the Decepticon cortical patch found on the Harbinger. "I'm testing out its motor functions and that's it."

he folded his arms only guessing how she felt offended, "You know, Ratchet can hold his own." He told her.

"Can you flip the switch please?" she only said.

He nodded lightly, "Sure." he said turning to the controls of the patch, translated to there own code it was made easier to use, she lay there producing steady breathes as she shut her eyes, Smokescreen had set it up as he sceptically made the transfer, from her own vision it was the usual different feeling of a body switch, she would close her eyes and only open them again to be in the new form. but something felt wrong, for a small split moment she swore her very spirit was neither in her body or the robot form and instead something had went on inside Starlight before her, her optics came online as she sat up quickly to that somewhat disturbing experience.

She felt a slight jolt on her form as she touched her alternative form prodding it for any differences, but no, it was all the same she merely figured it to be mere trauma to the body and its systems, suddenly a friendly face was very much...in her face as Smokescreen waved a hand, clicking his fingers to test the response in her optics, "you okay? He-lloo? how many digits am I holding?" he asked producing a fist.

"Should I risk even answering that?" she asked holding a hand to her head, "Aw man, I'm not receiving the motor functions very well." She added looking to her legs.

"Maybe they just need strengthening." Smokescreen reassured taking a hold of her arm as he helped her stand, "I can help you up right? your not going to pull out my beating spark an eat it are you? every last piece?" he grimaced.

her optics shuttered half way, "I don't know, I've tasted a penny once." she muttered adding to his comment as she sharply sighed, "Your right. I'll take it for a warm up." She said walking past him trying to refrain further idle contact as she heard him sigh...she grinded her jaw as she murmured and muttered, "Smokescreen." She then said turning around as he stood to attention wondering what she would snap next, "you…want to play a few rounds, with me afterall?" she asked awkwardly.

"So, you do remember how to play." He said sounding almost relieved.

"I never forgot." She said lightly looking to behind her as she decided she should start to focus her attention on others as well, mainly beings that were closely relatable to her own age, being around those so much older had more of an altering effect on her. "A-And you don't have to, just If, you want. I mean just to get my movement going again."

"Sure." He said picking up the ball, "One tiny question though." He said empathising the tiny with his pinched fingers.

She sighed, "What?"

"How, do you play it?" he asked as her expression relaxed from the edgy feeling.

"Oh, well I'll show you." She said turning back around to go outside. "Well we can't play a game without a team but we can see who get the most dunks. Hope my hip doesn't give way." she added waggling it a little making him stare slightly before shaking his head.

"What are you thirty decacycles? It'll be fine, you're fine with fixing stuff, and I mean that in two ways as well." he winked, "Because you know, you have your signature, you talk too much." He noted nudging her in the side as she was about to open her mouth to complain though that would only add to his argument, "But, I like talking to you." He added lightly, "Haven't had the time to do it with any other human and i have no idea what Agent Fowler is saying."

"Well, thanks, but I do talk too much but its mostly a nervous twitch. I do a lot of dumb things but there more personal flaws then anything." she shrugged.

Smoke raised an eyebrow at her as a question of 'seriously?'. "A nervous twitch? You can stop with the modesty your creating rust." He teased.

"Let's just do this." She said pushing the lobbing ball into him.

He stared into space as he looked at the ball, then started to throw it into the air catching a few times, "You know..." he started to say, "Optimus will handle it, we've nothing else to do down here." Smokescreen said lightly bouncing the lobbing ball off his palms.

"I know." She said trying to not think too much into it as she playfully snatching the ball from him, "but I still have to worry, that's just how I am." She said looking for a basket as she spotted something large enough for the lobbing ball to land in. "See that empty dumpster over there? That's the hoop." she looked down the ball to the dumpster as she aimed and threw it, "Boom. 1/0 in your baby face." She said as she started to jog to retrieve the ball. "But, I'm not going to lie, that was dumb luck." she said to him who jogged beside her.

"So the Predaking, when he was all you know beasty, you were talking to him in beasty-nian?" he asked his cooling systems kicking in to the combination of heat and running.

"The Synthen enhanced my audio receivers, translating his ancient tounge, well that's what I'm guessing anyway if sci-fi has taught me anything as long as you make it sound as though you know what your talking about its believable." she replied still performing the actions of breathing, that is struggled breathing while talking.

"How did you survive? No offense but I don't think you could have rode him out of there." he said noting her 'breathing'.

"There's a thought." She mused. "I turned him onto Starscream instead, I figured an abusive coward over an enemy would turn in my favour, thank the deities for that taken risk and the Preda-king values courage over cowardice and facing an opponent head on then facing their backs any day."

"You turned him onto Starscream?" he said amusingly, "wish I could've seen that."

She scratched her head speaking shyly to start with, "I...kind of wanted to see you take the Omega key from Megatron and when Bee took the Spark Extractor from him as well." She clenched her fists bringing them up slowly to her face as it shook, "such a sick burn." she declared as Smoke blinked to her sudden excitement.

"Wow, you got yourself pretty pumped there." he said sidestepping to one side as a wary act.

"I love 'take that' moments." She said before shaking her head, "Well anyway he was rolling around like his was on fire, screaming like he does with his vocal processors, I mean sure I'll admit I was laughing a little." she tented her fingers together, "its not like Dad saw or anything." she added with a somewhat cheeky tone.

Smoke grinned hissing a laugh, "Primus, you love it don't you? doing stuff like that and feeling 'bad'. your just a little attentive femme aren't ya?"

she tilted her head so that it leant on her shoulder, "N-eah, may-be. beggars cant be choosers, you gotta take any type of victory as a victory and I gotta say I love witty vengeance. as well as certain methods that I don't get caught for heh."

he grinned "What other methods? what else were you doing on the Nemesis?" he asked, she responded by tapping her helm making him shrug, "It's kind of losing its edge anyway. Starscream I mean, living up to his name as a screamer? Been there done that." He said.

"Yeah, good for you." She said lightly.

"We playing or not?" he said noting her clutching the ball, "quit keeping the ball, your just delaying the whooping I'm going to give you." he said taking a swipe for it.

She bounced it off his face, "game on sucker." she said.

He placed a hand briefly on his optic as he shook his head of dizziness, "Hey foul play." He declared jumping at her, "Hand it over cheat, give…give. come on give it Dim-spark." He started as she spun to avoid him, "got it." He said snatching it from over her shoulder.

She spun around then kicked up a knee into his hands forcing them to clasp and lose grip on the ball, "Had it." She retaliated snatching it back. "Aw y-eah, check out this basket of triumph." She stated tippy toeing on the spot as she dunked it in the dumpster. "Let's go again." She said enthusiastically.

"The first score doesn't count that was more of a tutorial score." He argued. "besides your more screwy then a Con processor."

"Watch my feet." She said to him, "go on watch them, see how fast there are? That's their way of mocking you." she said in a sinister tone.

Smoke tapped his fingers against his arm acting nonchalant about her taunting's, "Quit stalling, your so loud I think even Primus can hear you." He said snatching the ball, "check this out." He said throwing over his shoulder as he folded his arms shutting his optics.

Ellen watched baffled to how straight he threw it and with about a quarter of a mile away from the basket, the ball was straight and headed straight for the basket before Ellen's face fell to a typical 'lame' expression as the ball went over the fence. "Nice shot." She said flatly.

Smokescreens optics shot online as he looked to behind him, "heh." He said scratching his helm as he looked to the sky then shut his optics holding a finger up looking 'all knowing' in expression, "thought so, winds off course." He said matter of fact.

Ellen scoffed, "You mean your heads off course, the ball is in another time zone you dork." She said with her hands on her hips.

"Dork?" he said walking towards the fence, "come on 'Buzz' I thought I'd see if I had some abilities I was not aware of."

"Oh-right-of course." She said robotically flat.

He leapt over the fence as he picked up the lobbing ball, then quickly leapt back over before anyone pointed him out for going outside the perimeter, "Well, you know like the Primes, how they all had their own individual abilities that no one else had, like Vector Prime the guardian of space and time." he said in a mystical tone, "I still can't believe that Alpha Trion was able to see the past, present and future. he couldn't even remember where he left his optical enhancers." the image itself made her laugh, "FYI...they were on his head." he said though whispered it somehow thinking he might hear.

"That's funny, Dad would mention him but never the side effects of his age." Ellen placed her hands behind her back, "Can't have been all that great though, if he saw all the bad stuff that had to come." she said rubbing her arm, "Besides, it's a little different Smoke, those guys were created to take down an evil entity."

"He still exists." He said tapping the ground with his foot.

"Hmm." She muttered grimly to the casual note, "I know." She said leaning up against a building.

Smoke looked around him, "Well that was a quick game." He said throwing the ball over his shoulder again though this time it got into the dumpster, she thought not to say anything in case it backed up his case of 'super abilities'.

"Yeah, well at least we drew 1-1." She said.

"Huh?" he questioned looking to behind him though Ellen stopped him.

"So er, speaking of the Thirteen." she said stalling, "What was Primus thinking when he came up with Micronus? If I was him I'd be like 'hey Primus what the scrap?' i mean what is he prejudice? when he made him was he like Dr Evil or something, 'I shall call him...Micronus.'" she said impersonating said character. "Throw me a slagging bone Unicron." she continued saying anything to get him to not look behind him.

Smoke grinned unsure of what to say to that, "I have no idea what your talking about but, you sound weird so that's good enough."

She pushed a hand across his face, "You giant aft." She said.

"Well at least you know your receptors are functioning normal." He said brushing himself down.

"Ah take it outside Sparkling face." She said as he emphasised the area around them.

"We are outside." He jested.

"Well, there you go." She argued hopelessly as she walked back to the hangar, "Hey." She started lightly, "you ever conjured your holoform before?"

"Only to get those hundreds of burgers from Jacks fast food joint. Which by the way came with a free resource of plastic." He said.

she rolled her eyes as per norm. "You ever played chess?" she then asked.

"Errrr…" he said shrugging his shoulders blankly.

"it's a strategic game." She explained with humour in her voice to his blank reply.

"what really?" he said as he looked at her hopeful expression that she was putting on.

"you know, I used to play chess with Dad at least once a week." She said putting on a show, lifting her leg to behind her and holding held hands to her cheek.

Smoke melodramatically threw his head back, "Oh great just throw the guilt psychology at me, alright I'll play along, but I hope the rules don't take long."

she snickered, "your so gullible."

On the second computer that had not been used for any purpose for a while at that time, Ellen brought up a 3D simulation of the game chess, as Smokescreen looked blankly on at a checkered board that made his optics split the image into two with how hypnotic the pattern looked, the rules didn't have to take long but Ellen gave a thorough description of each pieces role in the game, "Hold on, why does the knight move in that weird L shape? And why does the king only move one square? What is he lazy or something?" Smokescreen questioned.

"I don't think this is a kind of king that fights, he's got more political power." She said.

"what about the pawns? Poor guys have to take the bullet?" he said almost disturbed by that.

"Smoke one thing you gotta know, chess is merciless and brutal." She said as she looked to behind her, Bumblebee was checking his weapons system as she made a murmuring sound, "Hey Bee!" she called waving a hand. "come here." Bee pointed to himself just to be difficult, "Yes you, you know its you." she said gullibly walking into being provoked.

Bee walked over as he looked up to the screen, a quick glance was all he needed, "No."

"Oh come on, try it with Smoke, I take too long with my turns so it'll probarlly end faster with you two playing." Ellen argued pushing him towards the screen next to Smoke.

he placed his arms to his side as he turned to Smokescreen, "Hmm, do you know the bit about getting your pieces back?" he asked him.

"back?" he questioned.

"Sure I'll play." He announced in a quick change of mind moving forward as he was ready and willing.

"I call the pieces that go first." Smoke declared as Ellen was pushed to the back of them with being barely enough room for even one person at the controls.

She folded her arms at the two competing, "Soooo, I'll play winner?" she muttered.

unfortunately it wasn't as quick a game as she hoped as the two became that competitive they took time with their decisions ranging from five to fifteen minutes each turn. and now it had reached a point of one of them being in constant 'check'. Ellen had grown a little bored as she talked to anyone she could find as she waited for one of them to announce a draw but doubted it. "Building a civilisation would be quicker." she muttered to herself looking at them both, "Bee why is it when your challenged you can be really stubborn just announce a peaceful negotiation already." she said.

"Its fine Ellen, I've got him cornered." he said...using the English...language?

"What?" at first she thought it was Smokescreen who was replying as the voice sounded similar in tone and personality. when he didn't answer she approached him, "Bee?" she said placing a hand on his back so he can pull himself from the screen.

he did turn around eventually, "What? if I turn around now, Smokescreen will move his piece twice." he said as Smoke pulled a face behind him.

Ellen shook her head, "I just...its silly but I thought you...you..." she found her eyes averting to his torso as she pulled away form him with a frightened gasp.

"Whoa, what's wrong, static shock?" he asked placing hands on her shoulder.

"Bee." she protested to what she saw, an opened burning chassis, and an exposed Spark chamber, "its not funny I saw..." she started to say but as she started to tell him, she noticed that the wound on Bumblebee sealed up slowly and a deep shot wound on Smokescreens shoulder that spread through to one half of his torso instead. She froze looking between the two not sure how to respond her voice turned to raspy muttering as Bee tilted his head.

"you saw...?" he encouraged.

Her optics were still and almost lifeless when looking on, "Nothing." she finally said in her normal tone as a tweak feeling in her head made it bow involuntary. she shook her head as she looked at the two mechs again without any wound to any part of their form. "The consequence, for someone to take the place of another." she repeated in thought.

"Such ignorance..." she then heard as she looked to Bumblebee.

"What?" she said.

"I...didn't say anything." he told her.

she looked around, "Urgh...what now?" she questioned.

A beeping sound was heard, the source being the comm link system, "Optimus to base, come in." was heard as everyone became anxious with the possible news he was to report.

"Commander. Have you determined the ships location?" Magnus asked.

"No Ultra Magnus." He reported regrettably. "The transponder has been destroyed. We are no closer to finding Ratchet then when we began." the rooms morale fell as they were back at square one.

"Don't make that sound as though its your fault, its no ones fault." Ellen called solemnly, "we'll just…start again."

"Yeah there are other ways." Smokescreen said.

"Ratchet is running out of time, he hasn't an unlimited supply of it." Arcee pointed out to them.

"that's why we start, again as fast as we can." Ellen emphasised.

"Autobot base do you read? This is Ratchet can anyone hear me?" came over the console.

"Loud and clear old friend." Optimus exclaimed hopefully.

The base cheered, praising his name that he was alive, but ceased quickly to a quiet sounding, careful tone Ratchet was putting on, "listen to me, Megatron has managed to rebuild the Omega lock, on board his warship. I've deactivated the Decepticon shielding system. You should be able to get a fix on my co-ordinates." A loud explosion was heard in the background. "Optimus you must hurry. Megatron is preparing to Cyberform Earth, as we speak." he gravely warned.

A long moment of silent as they feared what had happened. "Ratchet?" Optimus was heard. "Autobots! Lock onto those co-ordinates, and prepare to storm the Warship." he commanded.

"You heard our Leader!" Ultra Magnus reinstated. "We're going in and we're going in heavy, gear up."

And they did just that, each bot, Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Smokescreen and Ultra Magnus arming themselves with the weapons they used when storming Dark Mount with added upgrades as well as the phase shifter respectively. Ellen folded her arms as she tried to look not too out of place. Smoke clicks his fingers again as he went after something, "Think fast." he then called with an under arm throw, threw the Immobilizer in Ellen's direction, she bounced the item in her arms trying to get a grip on the thing that was spontaneously thrown at her.

"Smokescreen..." she started warningly.

"Ah, Ah, bet you forgot all about it didn't you?" he teased.

she averted her optics to the side, "Yes, thanks." she muttered. "Still, I had to go for the Con weapon didn't I?" while locking all there weapons and being sure of there systems and how fast a projectile goes a second Miko clutched the railing, with Jack beside her and Raf at the computer operating the Bridge controls.

"They can't go without saying goodbye." Miko said anxiously.

Agent Fowler placed a hand on her shoulder, "No time and no need, they'll be back." he reassured confidently.

"Initiating Groundbridge." Raf said as the portal activated.

"Lets do this thing." Ellen thought testing out her reflexes on transforming her arm from melee to weapon.

"Members of Team Prime." Optimus' voice said over the open comm as the bots made there way towards the portal in a singular formation. "Autobot and human. it has been my honour to lead you. on this day the fates of two worlds hangs in the balance, and the battle to come may very well be our last. but for Earth, for Cybertron, for our comrade Ratchet we must take the Decepticon Warship."

1/12/13 A/N Hmm December already...so moving on to the last episode and then the movie, also I though I'd note that when i mention Ellen going from her human form to her robotic form, when touching Dark Energon, she saw things even things that disturb her but doesn't hurt her physically as she has been protected by her arm and its entity signature keeping the Dark Energon or Unicron if you will from effecting her in a painful manner.

Well now moving from that to a robotic form, her mind has transferred but has taken the effects of Dark Energon with her and left her defence in her human body.

The things I write are not for the faint minded or actual logic for that matter. O_o?

anyway, I thought I'd try and fit in some small moments aka filler, before the grand finale why not basketball? well a couple of dunks anyway... ^^;

Also i have to mention this because I'm very pleased, I hit just over ONE HUNDRED faves! :D hey my story may not be up there with the big leagues but for me its a big deal so thank you very much hugs for all, or if your not a hugging person maybe a high five? ^^ ...though as I say this I'll probably jinx it. R + R, Fave or follow and thank you again i have a high level of self esteem right now but i'm always trying to improve :):):)